Melton awarded points from Ivanhoe game

Melton has been awarded the six points from its round 10 match with Ivanhoe after an investigation into why day two of the game didn’t go ahead.

While Melbourne was baked in sunshine on January 27 , players from the two sides were left on the sidelines with the ground deemed too wet to play and the match was declared a draw. Both teams received three points each.

The Lions lodged an appeal to the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association seeking answers on why play didn’t go ahead, with every other game in the north-west competition played that day.

On Monday night, the association’s investigation committee decided to award six match points to Melton and zero points to Ivanhoe.

The committee found Ivanhoe Cricket Club guilty of breaching the VSDCA pennant rules by not covering their wicket table on the Friday night before play.

At the time, Lions vice-president Anthony Gale said it was disappointing that they didn’t get the chance to chase down Ivanhoe’s total.

The decision to award the Lions the extra three points, means the Lions have sealed their finals spot with two rounds remaining. Even if the Lions lose both their remaining matches, they can’t be dislodged from the top six.

The decision extends the Lions gap at the top of the ladder. They are now five points clear of second placed Williamstown.